Fighting for Extra Cheddar

A few years ago, I started a blog called Extra Cheddar. I only updated it a few times and then it fell away like so many things. It's still out there but I'm somehow locked out of it. I hope I can get in at some point and merge it with this one, but for now, hello again! 

The purpose of that blog -- and this one -- was to detail the ways I make a little "extra cheddar." Side hustles, you know? 

I have a full time office job, four kids, and a husband who's a stay-at-home dad. Over the years, I've done a lot of things to earn some extra scratch. My kids are a little older now, but the youngest is only 10. The credit card debt has gotten higher, expenses have risen, and I was laid off two years ago, right before COVID - found a better job, but the pay is slightly less so I'm still scrambling. Among the things I've done and still do? Mystery shopping, focus groups, surveys, data entry, product testing, and even a few apps that pay me to get healthier. 

A few days ago, I got a nice unexpected slice of cheddar. I work for a mid-sized commercial real estate firm in NYC. About a month ago, a trade publication emailed me an audience survey with a chance for respondents to win a $250 gift card. I utilize the publication daily so I filled it out the survey, then promptly forgot about it...until I got an email earlier this week, letting me know I am a winner! Shortly after, I was emailed a Mastercard gift card for $250. It’s not always that easy, but it’s a start.